Worthing Crime Rate September 2023 | Monthly Statistics

Worthing’s September 2023 crime rate of 9.1 per 1,000 residents places it 13.7% above the UK average of 8.0. This discrepancy is most pronounced in shoplifting, which occurred at a rate of 2.3 per 1,000 — 311% higher than the UK average of 0.6. The breakdown reveals a stark contrast between property and violent crime: property crimes (471 total) account for 45.3% of all reported offences, while violent crimes (333 total) make up 32.1%. This imbalance aligns with Worthing’s character as a coastal town with a mix of retail hubs, residential areas, and tourism infrastructure. The high shoplifting rate may reflect the presence of high-traffic shopping districts, particularly during the transition from summer to autumn, when seasonal tourism and back-to-school shopping could increase opportunities for theft. Meanwhile, the 32.1% share of violent crimes — including violence and sexual offences — is higher than the UK average of 2.7 per 1,000 for this category. This could be influenced by the town’s proximity to university campuses, which may contribute to a more transient population and associated social dynamics. September, with its combination of university freshers’ week and the start of the school term, likely amplifies such patterns. The 10.6% share of anti-social behaviour cases — below the UK average — suggests a relatively stable community environment, though this may also reflect underreporting or effective local policing efforts. These figures underscore the need to contextualise Worthing’s crime profile within its unique demographic and geographic features, rather than treating it as a generic urban or rural case.

September 2023 saw significant month-on-month shifts in crime patterns, with violence and sexual offences rising by 15.6% (from 288 to 333 cases). This increase may be linked to the start of the academic term and the influx of students, though no definitive causal link is established. Public order offences also rose by 11.7%, potentially reflecting heightened activity in nightlife areas as evenings lengthen. Conversely, robbery cases fell by 60.0% (from 10 to 4), a drop that may indicate the success of targeted policing efforts or reduced opportunities for such crimes during the month. The shoplifting category remains an outlier, with a rate 311% above the UK average — a figure that likely reflects the concentration of retail premises in the town centre and the potential for opportunistic theft during busy shopping periods. The anti-social behaviour category, at 1.0 per 1,000, is 25% below the UK average of 1.3, suggesting a relatively lower incidence of disruptive behaviour compared to national trends. This could be attributed to the town’s community-focused initiatives or the effectiveness of local enforcement strategies. The rate for other theft (0.4 per 1,000) is 33% below the UK average, due to the presence of secure storage facilities or lower foot traffic in certain areas. These variations highlight the importance of granular analysis to identify local factors influencing crime trends, rather than relying solely on aggregate statistics.

Worthing’s September 2023 crime rate of 9.1 per 1,000 residents marks a 5.3% decrease from the previous month’s rate of 9.6, indicating a slight downward trend. Over the course of the month, this translates to roughly 35 crimes reported per day — a figure that provides a daily context for residents assessing local safety. On a monthly scale, one reported crime occurred for every 110 residents, a ratio that frames the overall exposure in a way that accounts for the town’s population of 113,866. This 1-in-110 figure is useful for understanding the frequency of crime relative to the population, though it does not capture the distribution of crime types or their severity. When compared to the UK average, Worthing’s overall rate remains 13.7% higher, but the month-on-month decline suggests that local interventions or seasonal factors may be contributing to a moderation of this gap. The daily crime count of 35 is consistent with the town’s size and density, though it is higher than the UK average when considered in absolute terms. This disparity may be explained by Worthing’s coastal location, which attracts both permanent residents and transient visitors, increasing the complexity of crime prevention efforts. The 1-in-110 monthly exposure figure also underscores the importance of community engagement and targeted policing in maintaining public confidence, even as the overall rate remains above the national benchmark.